Protecting the Environment

Many people say there is a need to protect the environment, but do not really make any effort to do anything about it. Are you one of these people? What can we do to encourage people to take action to protect the environment?

Most people are increasingly aware of the need to protect our environment. Despite this, not many of us are really taking steps to reduce our impact on the planet. In this essay, I will suggest some steps each of us can take and some ways to motivate others to do the same.

Many environmental problems seem so big that only governments, local authorities or big companies can deal with them. One example is global warming. We need government action to reduce emissions from coal and oil burning power stations and to develop safer sources of power. These require tough regulations and huge investment. The loss of forests and other habitat is another problem. How can we as individuals stop the destruction of the Amazon or Indonesian rain forests? Yet another example is waste. When people live in cities, they may not be able store or recycle waste, so huge landfills or incinerators are needed.

However, as consumers, we are the ones responsible for all these problems. First of all, we all need to consume less power. We need to turn off lights, replace inefficient bulbs with low-power ones, and not leave equipment on standby. Secondly, we need to control our surging populations. Each of us can make a decision regarding family size. This has a huge impact on the size of our cities and the need for food and more agricultural land. In addition, we need to consider eating less meat and more vegetables and fruit, in order to reduce the amount of land needed for meat. Generally, the main step we need to take is to live more simply. We need to reduce our consumption, recycle, and reuse.

In conclusion, our choices, however small, do have a real impact. If each of us made took two or three simple steps to live more simply, imagine the positive effect on the planet!

23 comments on “Protecting the Environment”

Here’s a shorter, 243-word version of the same essay with almost exactly the same ideas.

Today, more and more people are aware of the problems facing our planet. However, not enough people are actually doing anything to solve these problems. In this essay, I will show some simple steps which all of us can take to save our resources.

Many environmental problems seem too big for individuals to solve. Global warming caused by C02 is a huge problem. For example, I cannot afford to build wind-powered stations or a hydro-electric dam. Another example is the loss of land. As an individual in the UAE, how can I stop rainforest in Indonesia or the Amazon being used for farming? Yet another example is waste. The volume of waste even from one family is too much to deal with. I cannot burn it or bury it. All these problems can only be dealt with by corporations or governments.

However, individuals can take many steps. For example, we can all use less power. We can turn off lights and reduce the a/c. A second point is that we can decide the size of our family. A family size of 4 instead of 10 can make a huge difference in a generation. Finally, we can just live simply. We can reduce what we buy and reuse and recycle what we have.

In conclusion, although it may seem difficult, individuals can do a lot to take care of our environment. If we all take a few steps it will have a huge impact.